Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
I recently discovered the art of Michael Blaine Myers, Jr. through a post called Lost: The Saturday Morning Cartoon over at io9.com. As you’ve probably figured out already, Myers drew the cast of Lost [including the smoke monster] as they’d look in a Saturday morning cartoon. Cool idea and cool end result.
You can see more of Michael Blaine Myers, Jr.’s art here and here. It’s worth checking out!
The “Saul Bass-inspired” Tron credits has folks talking. Steve Kasansza posted a link to an equally “Saul Bass-isized” opening sequence for Lost.
After busting on the last Iron Man 2 poster, I am happy to report that I really like THIS new Black Widow character poster. It has a dramatically cropped photo of the very curvaceous Black Widow. The big “2” created in the “Iron Man” colors and style clues us in to the fact that it’s an Iron Man 2 poster… and for anyone who doesn’t pick up on it, there’s IronManMovie.com listed below it.
Yeah, this poster is a winner!
TVGuide.com just posted a piece titled Elmore Leonard: Justified Gets It Just Right. I’m happy that Elmore Leonard, who wrote the novella that the series is based on, is as happy with the show as the rest of us [on the night it premiered it ranked No. 1 on cable in overall viewers and in its time slot beat the broadcast networks among men 18-to-49]. I was was even happier to learn that…
…Leonard has begun work on a new Raylan Givens story which he hopes might inspire plots for the show’s second season, if FX renews the series… And if they don’t, Leonard says he will pen a couple more Raylan stories and publish a collection.
Earlier today AMC ordered six episodes of The Walking Dead based on Robert Kirkman’s comic series. Frank [The Mist; The Shawshank Redemption] Darabont is writing and directing the pilot for an October premiere.
The red band trailer for Survival of the Dead is now available.
Earlier this week CoedMagazine.com listed their choices for The 10 Greatest Saturday Morning Cartoons in History. So, using just their top ten, here is my top four:
I have to tell you, their choices stink. First of all, how are H.R. Pufnstuf, Sigmun the Sea Monster and Land of the Lost considered cartoons? If these shows qualify as “cartoons” then The Monkees and The Banana Splits should have made the list.
I’d always thought that “cartoon” indicated animation. Using that criteria then why didn’t Jonny Quest, Space Ghost, Tom & Jerry, The Roadrunner, and others not make the cut? Bah!
No, that isn’t me when I first wake up. It’s actually a card that my buddy, Rafael Kayanan did for a Lord of the Rings trading card set. You can see that card and others when you check out this interview with Raf over at the Sketch Card Art Blog.
Fess Parker, best known for playing Davy Crockett in the 50’s and Daniel Boone in the 60’s died today at age 85.
Parker first gained fame playing Davy Crockett for Disney. Although he’d played supporting characters [many uncredited] prior to getting the starring role as Crockett, it was almost a fluke that he ended up in the lead. Disney execs were screening “Them!” to get a look at James Arness, who was being considered for the role of Davy Crockett, but they were so impressed with Fess Parker’s turn in a bit part that he ended up with the role that was make him known to millions.
After his run as Davy Crockett, Fess Parker appeared in several movies [perhaps the most famous being Old Yeller and guest appearances on tv. In 1964, he again put on a coonskin cap and hit the big time. Daniel Boone ran for 159 episodes from 1964 to 1970. Not long after, Mr. Parker left show business to concentrate on real estate, and a winery.
I was a fan of the Daniel Boone series as a kid and spent many hours playing “Daniel Boone” with my friends. I also had the Daniel Boone playset as a kid and spent even more hours playing with it. I can still remember getting to see Old Yeller when it was re-released in the 60’s. And of course watching Mr. Parker many, many times in his small but important role in the classic Them!
Mr. Parker is survived by his wife of fifty years, a son and daughter and many grandchildren. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.
From Entertainment Weekly’s The Must List for March 19, 2010:
“SouthLAnd on TNT:
It’s been more than nine months since we last saw new episodes of this blood-and-grit cop series, but now it’s back and we couldn’t be happier. It’s the best drama since the NBC fiasco that led to its cancellation.”
I’d just add two things: 1] I totally agree and 2] Thank you TNT for bringing SouthLAnd back!
I’ve been a fan of 24 since uh, the first day… okay, the first show of the first season. In fact I’ve never missed an episode. So you can imagine my frustration at the recent talk that this could be the last season of 24, especially since this season is so good!
There’s been speculation that there will be a 24 movie [or series of movies] for years. Now there’s talk that NBC might be interested in picking up the series should Fox decide to let it go. If, FOX pulls the plug on 24, I’d rather see it stay alive as a tv series, so this is especially great news.
Last August I posted about a tv show called Lawman that would premiere in 2010. At that time I said that it looked interesting enough to make me want to tune in. Well, tomorrow night that will happen. Although the title of the show has been changed, my feelings about it haven’t.
The series is now called Justified and is based on an Elmore Leonard novella called Fire in the Hole. So at 10pm, I’ll tune in to FX hoping that my feelings are, uh, justified.
I’ve been a Lost fan since the first season premiere. I’ve never missed an episode and was really looking forward to the final season. I have to admit that I’ve been disappointed so far. I still record new episodes, but there’s no longer the rush to watch ’em.
What’s been buggin’ me is the alternate timelines/universes. Now what happens doesn’t seem to matter as much because it’s just one of who knows how many possible timelines.
Bah!
At least I’m not the only one who feels that way.
I’m still going to watch the final season and hope that it returns to old form.
In our on-going coverage of The Walking Dead moving from a comic series to a tv series… the website Bloody Disgusting reports…
…that a May 15 start date has been announced for the pilot episode of “The Walking Dead”, AMC’s live-action comic book adaptation being directed by Frank Darabont. Shooting will commence in Atlanta, GA.
For the full report, click here. Good times.
Patrick Sauriol at Coming Attractions has posted an exclusive review of Frank Darabont’s pilot script for AMC’s “The Walking Dead”. Darabont, who will also be directing the pilot is perhaps best known for his work as the screenwriter/director of “The Shawshank Redepmption”, “The Green Mile” and “The Mist”.
Saurol’s review is extremely positive and the following paragraph gives the best indication of why he thinks “The Walking Dead” will be a great series:
Contained in Darabont’s 60-page pilot script are all the elements to make the show a success. There’s plenty of horror that happens in those 60 pages. The director’s script covers the broad range of the zombie horror emotional spectrum, such as giving us moments of extreme gore (hey, any zombie TV show wouldn’t be a zombie show if it didn’t have folks being munched on!), moments of shock value (hey, you didn’t think that there was a zombie hiding behind that car, did you?) and the moments that I believe are the best indicator that The Walking Dead TV series has what it takes to transcend the boundaries of being simply labelled a horror show, the psychological horror scenes. Those scenes are the hammers that you’re going to remember and the ones that are going to propel this show to be viewed as something more important than just a scary show.
You can read the full piece by clicking here.
As a long-time fan of “The Walking Dead” comic series, I’m psyched as the television adaption moves closer and closer to my tv screen.
If you’re at all interested in the whole Conan vs Leno debacle then you owe it to yourself to read Mark Evanier’s summary of “What Went Wrong”. Evanier breaks it down to show how a series of immediate decisions created a long term disaster.
Both Conan and Leno were suffering in the ratings. I tend to agree with the thought that if all of the people rallying to Conan’s “side” had been watching his program to begin with, he wouldn’t have been bumped. I don’t watch either show, so I have about as much interest in how this turns out as I do who’ll be the next WWE champ. When this all settles perhaps Conan and Leno should schedule a grudge match on Monday Night Raw. Now THAT could be a ratings winner.
